Out of the Woods
by Awahili
Summary: A post-ep for 6x17 - The missing reunion scene between the woods and the precinct. EXTENDED TO FOUR CHAPTERS.
1. Chapter 1

This is a missing scene for what is quite possibly one of the best episodes of the series. _In the Belly of the Beast _is absolutely amazing. All credit is due to Andrew Marlowe and his crew for this pinnacle episode.

This takes place just after Elena walks away. The reunion I'm guessing we all wanted to see.

Spoilers, obviously…

* * *

She didn't know how long she sat there on her knees in the dirt, staring off into the suffocating darkness. Minutes – hours – passed before she gathered her feet underneath her and stood. Spots swam in her vision and the entire forest tunneled for a moment before she took a few deep breaths and it all snapped back into place. She had staggered into the trunk of a tree, and the bark was rough and scraping beneath her palm.

_Phone. Find his phone_.

She fell to her knees once more, but this time it was salvation that drove her, not supplication. Her fingers were numb – late winter nights were still cold, especially out here away from the bustle of the city. She ignored the blood that was pooling on the other side of the body, but she was careful not to get any of it on her. His phone was in his left pocket, the side he'd fallen on, and in the end she had to roll him over into his own blood to get at the device.

It beeped as she slid it open, and her trembling fingers hit several wrong keys before she managed to dial one of the only numbers she'd memorized.

"_Esposito_." His voice was even, but she could detect the hint of panic beneath the surface. She tried to call his name, but all that came out was a desperate croak. The memory of ice water burning her throat and lungs made her cringe, but she forced her throat to swallow a few times before she tried again.

"Espo."

"_Beckett? Where are you?"_ A loud crash echoed down the line, and then she heard _his_ voice, faint and worried.

"_Kate? Is that Kate? God, is she alright? Where is she?_"

"I'm fine," she reassured Esposito, knowing he'd pass along the message to her partner, her fiancé. "I'm in the woods outside of Scarsdale. I was pretty out of it when he brought me here, so I can't give you anything more."

"_Are you alone?"_

Kate looked down at the body at her feet, and her eyes closed against the memory of the barrel of his gun, the flash of a knife, and a figure disappearing into the dark.

"Yes, I'm alone."

"_Can you turn the GPS on? We'll get your position and coordinate with local PD."_

"Yeah," she nodded. "I can do that." She looked around for a moment, and figured she could make it back to the car at least. "Espo?"

"_Yeah?"_

"Hurry." He gave her a half-chuckle before she hung up. It took her a few tries, but she managed to find the location settings and switched the GPS to _on._ She tucked the device in her pocket like a lifeline, then debated on picking up his weapon. They had come alone, but there were wild animals in these woods. Still, the cop in her wouldn't let her contaminate the scene any more than she already had, so she left it and pointed herself in the direction she thought the car was. He had marched her for almost half an hour, and more than once she'd fallen in her exhausted state. She trudged back up the last incline, then turned across the strike of the hill. If she didn't find the car in the next thirty minutes, she reasoned, she would sit down and wait for them to come to her. But the lure of the warmth and comfort of a car's interior drove her onward.

As she walked, her thoughts drifted to the one thing that had seen her through these last twelve hours: Castle. Each time Vulcan Simmons had ordered her dunked into that freezing tank, each time they had cursed and struck out, she heard Castle's voice pleading with her to just hold on. _Hold on, Kate. We're coming for you_. She knew her friends – her family – would never give up. They would throw themselves into the task of finding her, so she just had to hold on.

Her footsteps faltered over an exposed tree root, and her knees slammed into the hard ground. She let out a cry of pain as it jarred her already damaged body, but she struggled back to her feet with a groan of determination. She would get back to him. They were going to be married in a few months, and nothing was going to stop them – not drug lords, or two-bit hitmen, or never-ending woods. She was going to marry Richard Castle and they were finally going to start this next chapter of their lives together, stupid fonts and all.

Had it really only been twelve hours since then? It felt like a lifetime to Kate; a lifetime she'd spent without him by her side. _No_, she reminded herself. _He was there. He's always been there._ He'd been the only thing on her mind as they'd interrogated her, and when she got home she promised herself that she'd tell him. He had to know how vital he was to her, how she couldn't imagine spending another moment of her life without him, and if he didn't she was going to make sure he learned it and never forgot. He'd done so much for her in these last five years, pulled her out of a life of despair. When she got home, she was going to marry him and tell him every day just how much of her life had been consumed and brightened by him, like a sunrise over a bleak landscape.

There was enough moonlight through the trees for her to make out the silhouette of the sedan that had brought them here, and she let out a quiet sob of relief as she stumbled toward it. Her hands fumbled on the door handle, but she managed to find the strength to pull the door open. As she sank into the driver's seat she cursed herself for forgetting the keys, but the lack of wind was enough to keep the chill from reaching her bones. She tugged the door closed and pressed the lock button, another defense against her and the horrible nightmare this night had become.

"Beckett!" The faint cry of her name was enough to pull her out of the haze she'd fallen into, and as she opened her eyes she saw the sharp blue and red lights dancing off of the trees. Turning her head, she watched her team pour out of the Crown Vic that had skidded to a halt mere feet from the car. Her hand flew to the handle and she tugged, crying out in frustration when it didn't catch and release her. She remembered the locks, and her fingers tripped over themselves trying to find the mechanism. She managed to press the button just as Esposito reached the door, and he pulled it open and reached for her in one motion.

"Got you," he whispered as she fell against him, and she allowed herself a brief moment to soak in his reassuring warmth. Ryan was next to him, and she slipped from one partner to the next easily. She felt his relieved laugh brush through her hair, and as she lifted her chin over his shoulder she caught sight of the third figure.

Ryan released her quickly as she pushed past him, all thoughts from her mind gone save for one. It was the same thought that had seen her through the torture, the fear. _Castle_.

She took two steps for his every one, and they met in the middle in a collision of bodies. The sharp pain faded away as his arms came around her, crushing her against his chest as he breathed his gratitude across her skin. Her tears soaked his shirt as his fell into her hair, and they stood there for a moment unmoving as CSU and paramedics swarmed around them. She clutched his shoulders in a desperate attempt to crawl inside of him and hide away from the pain and fear that loomed behind her. But in an instant they were gone, replaced by Esposito and Ryan as they stood like sentinels at her back.

"It's over," Castle whispered over and over, as if reassuring himself as much as her. "You're safe. I've got you."

"She needs to be checked out," Ryan's quiet voice slipped between the quiet murmurs, and Beckett found enough strength to pull back. Castle's face was a mixture of desperation, guilt, and relief, the lines on his face suddenly making him look so much more worn and old. Beckett lifted herself up and pressed her lips against his, attempting to take away the pain and fear that had no doubt settled in him since he'd discovered she was missing. He responded viscerally, his fingers digging into her hips as he allowed her reassurance to wash over him. A deep growl reverberated in his chest, and Beckett nipped his lower lip gently before pulling away. His head leaned forward, kissing her own in a gesture that had come to represent the strength that they only had when they were together.

"Castle," Esposito insisted, and the writer moved his opposite arm across his body to slip his fingers between Kate's before turning her around and tucking her into his side. The four of them made their way to the waiting ambulance, and a paramedic who looked both amused and annoyed.

After the medic warning her to take it easy for at least a week, and Beckett refusing to go to a hospital, she settled into the back of Ryan's car with Castle. She'd watched his face as the EMT had listed her injuries, and she'd tried to sound as clinical as possible as she catalogued what had happened. But she'd seen Ryan suck in a sharp breath at the mention of the ice water tank, and as she'd talked about the blows to her face and sides she gently soothed Castle's white-knuckled grip on the gurney.

"Gates wants us back at the precinct." Ryan's tone was a question, and she had no doubt he'd defy the captain if she said she just wanted to go home. But Beckett wasn't one to just wallow and hide away to lick her wounds. Gates wouldn't call for her if it weren't important, so she told her friend to take them back to the 12th. She could feel Castle's labored breathing next to her, and she shifted a bit until she could lay her head against his chest. He relaxed just a little at that, twisting to the side so she could stretch out along his body and soak up his heat. Her eyes fell shut, then slammed open again as her heart pounded in her chest.

"Rest, Kate," he whispered as his arms came around her frame, holding her in a way that let her know he would never let her go. "I'll wake you when we get there."

Her eyes fluttered closed again, and as she took in a deep breath and the scent of home, she finally allowed herself to slip under.

* * *

I have to say it again. This episode was incredible. Reviews are inspiring, as well as appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

So after much deliberation (and a well-thought out review) I have decided to continue this just a bit. No longer a one-shot, but now in four parts.

* * *

Castle woke alone, and for one terrifying moment his writer's mind plunged him into a horrifying alternate reality. This could have been his life had something gone differently yesterday. One slip, and their always would have been ripped away from them in a cruel moment. Then his eyes caught the faint light coming under the bathroom door and he breathed a sigh of relief. A vicious, rattling cough broke the silence, as if to remind him that this was no ordinary night, and he winced. She'd been awakened twice tonight since they went to bed; once from a violent coughing fit and once from a nightmare. He'd gotten up with her both times, holding her until her shaking had subsided, and murmuring nonsense against her hair as she drifted back to sleep.

He threw back the mound of blankets he'd piled on the bed earlier in an effort to keep Kate warm and pulled his boxers on in the same motion he used to stand. "Kate?" he called softly, rapping his knuckles against the dark wood of the bathroom door. Silence answered and he opened the door fearing the worst.

She was standing in front of the mirror, her eyes hazy and unseeing as she swam in her memories. The backlight from the shower cast her face in partial shadow, but he could tell she wasn't really aware of her surroundings. Her palms were flat against the cool granite of the counter, and her pale skin was marred viciously by the darkening bruise on her head. She was in a pair of his sweatpants, the drawstring pulled as tight as possible and knotted twice. She swam in the NYPD hoodie she'd purposefully ordered a few sizes too big. It was faded and worn from constant use, though now it smelled like his laundry soap instead of hers.

"Kate?" he tried again, moving stand behind her. He tried to catch her eye in the mirror, but she was lost in thought. His hands moved to her shoulders, feeling the tension just under the still too-cool skin of her neck. He crowded her but didn't wrap his arms around her, no matter how much he longed to. He opted instead to let his palms spread out over her ribs on either side, framing her body and letting her know that he was there. He felt her take a breath, but it was short and harsh, like she couldn't inhale deeply.

"Kate," his tone lilted with worry, and he mentally sifted through the information the paramedic had spouted off at the scene. "Kate, honey, are you having trouble breathing?"

"M'fine," she mumbled, but there was no force behind it. In the soft glow of the shower light, he couldn't really see her face clearly enough to know for sure. He reached over and flipped on the bright lights above the mirror, and they both flinched at the sudden brightness. When his eyes finally adjusted he gasped.

"We need to get you to a hospital." He turned her around to face him, but she managed to step out of his arms and toward the door.

"I'm fine, Castle. I'm just tired." She took a short breath between her words, and Castle shook his head.

"Kate, you're not fine," he protested. "Your skin is pale, you've been coughing constantly, and you're not breathing properly. Get your shoes." His tone left no room for argument but Kate was already halfway to bed.

"I just need rest, Castle."

"No," he took a few strides forward and gripped her arm firmly. "Kate, please. You need to be checked out, at least. There may be leftover complications from the cold or the water..." He trailed off, unable to even think about the horrible ordeal she'd been through. "Please," he begged. He pulled her into his arms, wincing as he felt her take a pained breath beneath him. "I can't lose you now."

She was quiet and still, and for a moment he thought she'd passed out on him. Finally she took a ragged breath and looked up, seeing the frantic worry in his eyes. "Alright," she caved, shoving away from him gently. "But if the doctor says nothing is wrong, you owe me a full body massage."

"Deal," he agreed quickly, scrambling to get dressed as she found her tennis shoes. He left a note on the counter for Alexis and his mother before ushering Kate out of the door and downstairs. He debated going to the garage for the Ferrari; at this time of night the streets would be relatively clear. But a taxi would be faster, and he had the doorman summon one as Kate leaned against him heavily.

"You alright?" he murmured.

"Just -" her statement was cut off by a yawn, and she gave him a rue smile. "Tired," she finished. "Someone dragged me away from my comfortable bed at three in the morning." He didn't even apologize as the taxi pulled up, and he pushed her in ahead of him as he called out the name of the hospital.

Ten minutes into the trip, Kate sagged heavily against him. "Kate?" he shook her gently, but her head just lolled against his shoulder. "Kate?" his voice was more urgent, and the cabbie glanced at them in the rearview.

"She okay?"

"Just get us to the hospital now," Castle answered sharply, cursing himself for not calling an ambulance. But, he reasoned silently, then she'd be unconscious in his loft while they waited; at least now they were only five minutes away from the ER. "Hang on, Kate." He slipped a hand under her hoodie and laid his palm against her abdomen, feeling the shallow breaths that her body was fighting to take. He pulled her body against his, repeating his plea quietly in the silence of the cab.


	3. Chapter 3

The taxi had accelerated to dangerous speeds, but at three in the morning there was no traffic to worry about. They screeched to a halt in the ambulance parking outside New York Presbyterian, and the driver leaped from his seat to call for help as Castle opened his door and pulled Kate with him. Two orderlies burst from the building with a gurney between them, and Castle laid his fiance on it gently as they asked him questions.

"Sir, can you tell me what the problem is?" Her nametag read "Mel," and Castle took a half-step back as she took his place at the top of the stretcher. Her partner - a young man just a little older than Alexis - was on the other side and they moved in sync as they pushed Kate back into the hospital.

"She's having trouble breathing," he told them. "She might have water in her lungs."

"Has she been swimming?"

"No," Castle had to jog to keep up with their fast pace, but he didn't care. They were wheeling her past the waiting room and straight into the trauma area. It was a place Castle had never wanted to see again, and he tried not to think about the last time he stood in this hallway. "No," he repeated, but didn't know how much he could reveal about her mission. "She was dunked repeatedly in a tub of ice water."

Neither orderly reacted to that, but Castle could see the questions in their eyes. They let him follow as far as the trauma room, but a nurse stopped him just outside the door with her hands held up and a stern expression.

"Sir, you can't go in there."

"But she might have hypothermia, too, and her ribs -"

"We'll take care of her," she promised. "I need you to go out to the waiting area and fill out some paperwork." She gripped his arm and tried to turn him as he watched the two techs hook Kate up to a variety of machines.

In the harsh white lights of the hospital she looked worse, and wave of nausea flooded him for a moment before the nurse managed to steer him back toward the reception desk. His feet carried him even as his mind swirled through one worst-case scenario after another. He was handed a clipboard with an obscene amount of papers, and he unwound the small pen attached by a beaded chain as he made a mental list of everyone he needed to call.

Lanie promised to call the boys, and Jim was already on his way after a frantic call from Martha. As he hung up with Kate's father, his mother and daughter came through the doors in an entrance that would make Meryl Streep jealous.

"Richard!"

"Dad what happened?" Alexis' eyes were wide with worry, and Martha hadn't bothered to put on more than jeans and a long-sleeved blouse. Castle wrapped his daughter in his arms as he told them what had happened at the loft.

"Poor girl," Martha cooed. "Hasn't she been through enough." It was a rhetorical cry to the universe, but Castle seconded it whole-heartedly. They'd been through enough. _Enough_.

Ten minutes later Jim came through the door, and he easily caught sight of the trio standing against the far wall.

"What's happened?" Castle felt a pang of sorrow at the pain on Jim's face. This man lived in constant fear that one day he'd get the phone call that ripped away the last of his family. Standing in the ER at four in the morning, Jim looked braced for the worst.

"She's having trouble breathing," Castle explained quietly. "She went undercover yesterday, but things went badly. She survived, but some of the things they did to her..." He couldn't voice them aloud, and from the look on Jim's face he wasn't the only one who didn't really want to hear it. "She got some water in her lungs, and she's been coughing violently all night. They won't tell me what's wrong."

"It's called dry drowning," Alexis spoke up, her fingers swiping across the screen of her phone. "It happens to swimmers sometimes when they swallow too much water." She scanned the article she'd googled as the others gathered around her.

"Will she be okay?" Castle tried to peer at the small screen over her shoulder, desperate for answers.

"She'll be fine," another voice spoke up, and they turned to face the nurse that had halted him earlier. "We've stabilized her and put her in a room. We'll need to keep her overnight."

"Can we see her?" Jim asked.

"The doctor will be out shortly to let you know more. Best thing for her now is rest." She offered them a reassuring smile, then bustled off to handle another patient's family.

"Castle!" Esposito's voice rang across the room, and they all turned to greet him and Lanie. Ryan was right behind them, and when they had all gathered Castle went over everything again.

"I knew we should have taken her to the hospital," Espo growled.

"She refused to go," Ryan reasoned, remembering how adamant she had been with the paramedic yesterday.

"Beckett?" An older man in scrubs stood just outside the double doors with a clipboard in hand. When all seven of them turned, he seemed shocked for a moment. "I'm Doctor Dyers, Ms. Beckett's physician."

"How is she?"

"She'll be fine," he confirmed, and the entire group let out a collective sigh. "She had a lot of water in her lungs, and it was giving her some trouble. We put a tube in and suctioned it out, but we want to monitor her through the night to make sure she's getting the right amount of oxygen."

"What about her temperature?" Castle asked. "She's been cold all evening."

"Actually, that probably helped her." He laughed at their confused expressions, and continued. "When we're presented with a dry drowning case, there's often concern about brain damage since the lungs aren't transferring oxygen properly. One of the treatments we use is to keep the patient's body temperature a bit lower because we use less oxygen, so her hypothermia may have saved her."

"But she's fine now?" Jim pressed.

"She will be after a good night's rest. We've brought her temperature back up gradually, and she's being supplied with oxygen. We should be able to release her tomorrow provided she can take it easy a few days."

"She will," Castle said firmly. "Can we see her?"

"She's sleeping now so it would really be best to come back -"

"I'm not leaving her alone," he insisted. "What room is she in?"

Lanie and the boys agreed to come back in the morning before they went in to work, but Castle led Jim and his family down a series of corridors until they came to a group of private patient rooms.

"We'll wait out here," Martha grabbed Alexis' hand as Jim opened the door, and Castle gave her a grateful nod before following him into the darkened room.

Jim was standing at the foot of the bed staring down at his daughter. There was a cannula in her nose supplying her with steady oxygen, and only her arms rested above the thick blankets they had tucked in around her. In the dim light from the hallway she looked small, and Castle was harshly reminded of the last time he'd seen her this way. He moved to the head of the bed, sinking down into the chair positioned there. The machines beeped steadily as she took even breaths, and though Castle didn't know what all of the numbers meant he trusted they were where they needed to be. He reached out slowly and brushed a piece of hair away from her face, then trailed his fingers down her arm to grip her hand.

"I should have made her go to the hospital when we found her," he whispered in apology, but Jim shook his head.

"She'll be fine now, Rick. She's a fighter."

"Yeah," he let out a breath that was almost a laugh.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Jim moved to the other side of the bed, pulling a plastic chair up to sit on the other side of Kate. Castle spent the next half hour detailing everything that had happened from the first phone call yesterday afternoon to finding her injured but alive in the woods outside of Scarsdale. Jim remained quiet through it all, but Castle could see the worry and fear in his eyes.

"I should have been there with her," Castle said.

"It's over now," Jim dismissed his self-recrimination with a wave of his hand. "There's nothing you could have done. Right now just concentrate on getting her better. You're getting married in a few months, after all." The last sentence was said with a smile, and this time the writer returned it.

"It's not soon enough," he claimed. "My mind keeps imagining the worst scenarios, and I keep wondering why we've waited so long. What if something like this happens again, and we can't get to her? What if we never get the chance -" His throat closed over the horrifying thought, and he blinked a few times to banish the sting of tears.

"Hey," Jim reached across Kate's body and laid his hand over Castle's arm. "You can't do that. Believe me, I know. I've spent the last fifteen years terrified of that phone call. The only thing you can do is cherish every moment you have together. She loves you, Rick, and you love her. Dates, invitations, center pieces...none of that matters, because in your hearts you've already promised each other everything. The rest is just formality." He settled back and let his words sink in as the machines beeped a steady rhythm.

The silence stretched on for a few more minutes, then Jim stood. "She's in good hands. Will you call me tomorrow when they release her? I'll swing by the loft, if that's alright."

"Of course," Castle stood as well. "You're always welcome there." There was a moment of hesitation between them, then Jim reached forward and wrapped Castle in a hug.

"Take care of her. And yourself, too. I love you both." He patted his future son-in-law on the back twice before pulling back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Castle watched the older man go, marveling in the feeling of family that washed over him. He moved quietly to back to Kate's bedside and sank down into the chair. His hand found hers again, letting her know he was there even if she couldn't hear him. After a few moments he laid his head on the bed next to her shoulder, letting the rhythmic beep of her heart monitor lull him to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

A change in the rhythm of her heartbeat jolted him awake, and when he glanced at her he met her hazel eyes.

"Hey," he whispered, sitting up a little straighter and ignoring the twinge in his back. She groaned softly, her hand moving to pull at the cannula in her nose. "No, Kate," he caught her hand in his mid-motion and settled them both back down on the blankets. "Leave it in for now." He reached over and pressed the button for the nurse, using the movement to check his watch. It was just after nine – not nearly long enough for her to have gotten enough rest.

"You scared me," he offered her a smile.

"What happened?" She winced as her voice croaked, her throat no doubt raw from the tube they'd had to snake down to her lungs. She tried to swallow a few times, but that only seemed to inflame it more.

"Easy, Kate," Castle rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in a gesture of comfort. "The nurse is on her way."

Taking her cue, the door opened and admitted one of the daytime nurses. Her straight blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, and her rounded face was smiling as she unhooked the stethoscope from her neck. She looked more to Castle like someone's jovial aunt than a trauma nurse, and he half-expected her to pinch his cheeks as she spoke.

"Looks like someone decided to rise a little earlier," she moved to the opposite side of Kate's bed and glanced at the monitors. "Your numbers look good, Ms. Beckett. Let's sit you up." She adjusted the bed a little, lifting Kate's upper body slowly. "You let me know if you feel any discomfort." Castle watched his fiancée's face carefully for any signs of pain, but Kate didn't show any. "Alright, honey, lean forward just a bit. I want to listen to your lungs."

Castle watched as the nurse ran through a series of tests, nodding in certain places and frowning in others. When she was done, Kate looked more tired than when she woke.

"That's good, dear. Just lie back and rest now." She scribbled something down on the chart and hooked it back into place. "Doctor Dyers will be in a few moments to see about getting you home." She patted Kate's blanket-covered foot and left the room in the same bustling manner in which she'd entered. When she was gone, Castle readjusted Kate's blankets and reclaimed her hand.

"Are you in pain?"

"A little," she admitted. "My chest hurts."

"You were coughing pretty badly when I brought you here." She gave him a wry smile and squeezed his fingers.

"I remember." Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Thank you."

"Hey, I'm not letting you out of the wedding planning that easily," he joked.

"Til death do us part, right?" It was meant to be a joke, another quip to lighten the mood, but his face grew somber and he crowded her just a little bit more. She shook her head to dismiss her own thoughtless words, and turned her hand over to slip her fingers through his larger ones. She thought back over the years to the few times they'd been here; one of them lying in the hospital with the other standing watch. Though those times were thankfully few and far between, they stood out as harsh moments of reality. They weren't invincible, and one day one of them would wake up and the other wouldn't be there. One day, their always would be over.

"Next weekend," she said suddenly, and his head lifted from where he'd lowered it. She knew him well enough to know he hadn't been praying, but his silence spoke volumes for the grief he'd probably been through these last few hours.

"What?"

"Let's get married next weekend. It's enough time to let everyone know, but I don't want to wait anymore." He half-stood, his body warm and comforting as it hovered over hers. His lips captured her own, mindful of the life-saving equipment still connected to her. She laughed softly, his mouth capturing the noise and returning it with a bright smile. Still hovering, he pulled away just a bit and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Seems like you're feeling better, Ms. Beckett," Doctor Dyers' voice interrupted them, and Castle lurched backward into his seat like a teenager caught by his girlfriend's parents. Kate laughed at his expression and nodded to the doctor.

"Still sore," she answered, grimacing at how scratchy her voice sounded.

"That'll clear up in a few days," he promised. "I recommend warm soup and hot tea for your next few meals until your throat feels better." He repeated the nurse's check, humming satisfactorily when Kate could take a full breath. "Wonderful. I think we got all of the water out of your lungs. It's lucky your fiancé brought you in when he did. A few more hours and we might have been looking at pulmonary edema, brain damage, and worse."

Beckett caught Castle's eye and smile gratefully at him. "Yeah, I'm pretty lucky."

"I'll go get everything set for your release. Take it easy the next few days. If you experience dizziness, loss of consciousness, or if the soreness gets worse, come back in immediately." He scribbled some notes down on the chart and took it with him as he left. Castle waited until the door clicked shut behind him, then whirled on Kate.

"Next weekend? Really?"

He looked so much like a little boy in that moment that Kate laughed. "Okay, maybe not next week, but soon. I don't want to wait anymore, Rick. I want to marry you. I want to start the next chapter of our story."

He stood up and leaned over to kiss her again. "I like our story," he whispered against her lips.

"I like our story, too." She kissed him once more, cradling his cheek in her palm. "Take me home, Rick."


End file.
